"The Sabbath of the Land"
(Leviticus25:6)
Iyar 18, 5778/May 3, 2018
This week's Torah reading, Behar, (here in the land of Israel), takes a sharp turn. Up until this point the entire book of Leviticus has been focused on the work of the kohanim (Temple priests) and related issues of ritual purity. Suddenly, in parashat Behar, Israel is presented with a set of commandments devoted to the land of Israel. These are the commandments concerning the sabbatical (shemittah) years and the Jubilee (Yovel) year. There are two reasons for this new focus, one thematic and one historical. Thematically, Torah has been stressing that Israel is a holy nation, and it will remain a holy nation as long as it remains true to G-d's commandments. Now that concept of holiness is being applied to the land of Israel, the land that the children of Israel are about to enter into. And that is the second, historical reason for the introduction of the far away land of Israel at this juncture: it is not far away at all!
We are nearing the conclusion of the book of Leviticus. Moshe has transmitted to Israel the vast majority of the commandments that they need to know up to this point, and now they are ready to enter the land of Israel, the final stopping point on their journey out of Egypt. They have spent their year in the wilderness receiving Torah, building the Tabernacle, instructing the kohanim and inaugurating the Divine service in the Tabernacle. Soon they will be forming an army. Moshe and Israel are ready to enter the land promised their forefathers, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, and therefore Torah's attention focuses on the land of Israel. Had it not been for the sin of the spies, which has not happened yet, Israel would have, indeed, been entering the land soon after receiving these latest commandments.
But what G-d shares with Israel concerning the land of Israel is nothing less than a bombshell. By declaring that the land of Israel, no less than the children of Israel, requires a sabbatical year of rest and an additional Jubilee year of rest and liberation transforms our understanding of the land of Israel as being a resting place, an inheritance and a resource for the children of Israel, into being a living, breathing, equal partner of Israel, a holy force unto itself which demands respect and care, love and nourishment. The children of Israel, the nation, is not the only player in Israel's relationship with G-d. The land is also a player and a partner.
We have already been told that the land of Israel is a land flowing with milk and honey. We know that it was promised to Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov as an eternal inheritance. We know that it will be the place where Israel's crops and grains are sown and harvested and where her sheep and cattle will graze. So what is so revolutionary about the commandments of shemittahand Yovel (sabbatical and Jubilee years)? By investing the dimension of time (shemittah and Yovel) into the dimension of space (the land of Israel), G-d is turning both time and space into intimate partners creating a whole new reality, transforming what had been the land of Canaan into the living land of Israel. By insuring a sabbatical cycle G-d is giving the land of Israel a heartbeat and a pulse. He is breathing time into the nostrils of space and space into the nostrils of time, just as He had breathed life into the nostrils of man. And to Israel He has delegated the responsibility to see to it that these shemittah and Yovel years are faithfully observed, not just for the life of the land, but also for the life of the nation on the land: "You shall perform My statutes, keep My ordinances and perform them then you will live on the land securely." (Leviticus 25:18)
The commandments of shemittah and Yovel likewise transforms the children of Israel into an intimate and eternal partner of the land of Israel. Israel is not merely the best place for the performance of G-d's commands and the perfection of Torah life, it is the only place. This is also revealed in the dual description of the three pilgrimage festivals, Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot. Each of these festivals celebrates a milestone in the journey of Israel from Egypt and slavery to the land of Israel and freedom (the dimension of time), and at the same time, each of the three pilgrimages are deeply rooted in agriculture (the dimension of place), in the blessing of the land of Israel. And now this yearly life cycle is woven into the fabric of the seven year sabbatical cycle and the fiftieth year of the Jubilee.
The land of Israel is alive and like all living things responds to the tender caress of its one true love, the children of Israel. This is why when Israel was in exile the land withheld its charms and blessings from all its inhabitants, transforming itself into a barren and desolate land, and only after Israel returned over the last century did the land again begin to return to life, like a princess under a spell, awaiting the kiss of the intended prince, the children of Israel. At the heart of this living land, this awakened princess, sits the Holy Temple, and within the Holy Temple, the Shechinah - the Presence of G-d. This is the promise, first made to Avraham, and first brought to life with the commandment of shemittah, which the children of Israel are charged with today, to tend to and protect. To make the dream a living, breathing reality.
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Tune in to Temple Talk as Yitzchak Reuven on his own in the studio, discusses Parashat Behar & the sanctity of the Land of Israel, Israel, Iran & the winds of war, the deadly danger of hubris, Lag b'Omer & the mysterious fate of Rabbi Akiva's students.
This week's edition of Temple Talk features Yitzchak Reuven alone in the studio as Rabbi Richman is en route to the USA where he will be speaking next week in Texas. But don't touch that dial - Yitzchak has some important things to share! Parashat Behar presents G-d's first formal introduction of the incredible land of Israel to the children of Israel, as G-d calls upon Israel to take very special care of the sacred land. Meanwhile, three thousand five hundred years later, Israel is defending her precious land, taking out Iranian arsenals in Syria, intended to be used against Israel, and the fabled Israeli Mossad manages to pull off the heist of the century, walking out of Iran with a truckload of top secret documents exposing the extent of Iran's deadly nuclear intentions.
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The life force that G-d bestows upon all creation transcends time and space and invests all creation with holiness. By the laws of shemittah (7 year sabbatical cycle) and Yovel (49 year Jubilee cycle), Torah commands Israel to take possession of both time and space in order to reveal and make visible the holiness in G-d's creation. Click here to view Rabbi Richman's teaching on Behar (Leviticus 25:1-26:2).
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For Freedom Of Jerusalem! Unearthed Bar Kochba Coin Points To Far-Reaching Support For Rebels Against Rome: A late revolt bronze coin discovered where rebels sought refuge in a cave near Modiin indicates geographically widespread Jewish backing of the ultimately bloody Jerusalem uprising. Click here to learn more and see photos.
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In the Diaspora? If you are in the diaspora then you are reading Parashat Emor this week. Parashat Emor, in its entirety, from its rules concerning the fitness of kohanim, to its roster of the annual festivals and holy days, and right to the commandment to kindle the golden menorah and place freshly baked show-bread upon the golden show-bread table, and concluding with the incident of the blasphemer, is a lesson in how we are to live our lives, day by day, in the presence of G-d in the world. Click here to view Rabbi Richman's teaching on Emor(Leviticus 21:1 - 24:23).
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Sefirat Ha'omer - Counting The Omer With Rabbi Chaim Richman: Today is Thirty Four Days which are Four Weeks and Six Days of the Omer. Please join us each day for the counting of the Omer, the Biblical commandment of counting forty nine days of the Omer. For 49 days Rabbi Chaim Richman will be counting with you the Omer, the commandment first given Israel in Exodus 23:15-16: "And you shall count for yourselves, from the morrow of the rest day [Passover] from the day you bring the omer as a wave offering seven weeks; they shall be complete. You shall count until the day after the seventh week, [namely,] the fiftieth day, [on which] you shall bring a new meal offering to HaShem."
Visit our Facebook page daily to view Rabbi Richman's latest Omer video message.
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RABBI AND MRS. RICHMAN TO SPEAK IN TEXAS NEXT WEEK! Two opportunities to meet and hear Rabbi and Mrs. Richman in Texas next month! Save the dates! Rabbi Chaim Richman will be speaking in Abilene, TX, on May 8th, 2018. The rabbi's teaching is entitled, "Serving HaShem with All Your Heart."
In a Gala Jerusalem Day Celebration, in Lubbock, TX, on Sunday, May 13, Mother’s Day, and also the 51st anniversary of the unification of Jerusalem, both Rabbi and Mrs. Richman will be teaching and sharing their unique Torah messages. This Mother’s Day, come and celebrate the miracle of Jerusalem’s ancient promise and modern rebirth! The rabbi's teaching is entitled, " The Light of Jerusalem." Rabbanit Richman's teaching is entitled, " Honoring Our Parents Today and Every Day." Click here for more details.
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Muslim Waqf Places Rock In Path Of Jewish Worshipers On Temple Mount: Earlier this week it was discovered that the Muslim Waqf had placed a large rock in the path frequented by Jewish worshipers on the Temple Mount. An attempt, perhaps, to stem the tide of Jewish ascenders to the Temple Mount, whose numbers increase week after week? The Israel police have promised to have the rock removed. Click here here.
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Solomon's Stables - Chapter 2: Building the Structure: By Pinchas Abramovich (translated): In the previous chapter we investigated the use of the structure called Solomon's Stables. In this chapter we will try to understand who and when the structure was built. The brutal Muslim destruction of the area when, in 1999, it converted Solomon's Stables to an underground mosque, at least helped to unearth some of the mystery surrounding the site. Click here to learn more and see photos.
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3 Years In Prison For Hamas-Linked Temple Mount Activist: Head of Hamas-linked al-Shabab al-Aqsa organization sentenced to 35 months. Organization's members attack visitors to Temple Mount. Click here to learn more.
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From The Ottoman Imperial Archives: The Mosque Of El-Aksa On Part Of The Site Of Solomon's Temple: This sketch of the al-aqsa mosque is part of the historical collection of the Ottoman Imperial Archives, housed in Istanbul, Turkey. The title of the picture, which appears under the image is "The Mosque Of El-Aksa On Part Of The Site Of Solomon's Temple" and is described as being "from a photograph secured in Jerusalem by Dr. Talmage." Click here to learn more.
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Muslim Convert To Judaism Arrested For Praying On Temple Mount: Former South Lebanon Army militiaman who converted from Islam to Judaism, arrested for saying 'Shema Yisrael' on Temple Mount. Earlier this month, Meir Mizrachi, a former Lebanese militiaman who converted to Judaism, was arrested during a visit to the Temple Mount, after he recited a traditional Jewish prayer on the holy site. Click here to learn more.
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Pesach Sheni - Second Passover: Holiday Of Second Chances: "There were men who were ritually unclean [because of contact with] a dead person, and therefore could not make the Passover offering on that day. So they approached Moshe and Aharon on that day. Those men said to him, 'We are ritually unclean [because of contact] with a dead person; [but] why should we be excluded so as not to bring the offering of HaShem in its appointed time, with all the children of Israel?' Moshe said to them, 'Wait, and I will hear what HaShem instructs concerning you.'" (Numbers 9:6-8) Click here to learn more about Pesach Sheni.
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Shavua Tov (& Pesach Sheni Sameach) From The Temple Mount! A new week begins on the Temple Mount, the world's holiest place! Today is also Pesach Sheni (Second Passover), the one day holiday on which those who were unable to perform the Passover offering on the 14th of Nisan, due to being ritually impure or being unable to arrive in Jerusalem in time to perform the offering (despite their best efforts) could bring the offering and eat the Pesach today. Click here to learn more and see photos.
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Celebrating Jerusalem’s Jubilee Year: Verse 420: Jerusalem In The Bible!: The holy city of Jerusalem is mentioned 627 times in the Bible. The Temple Institute is celebrating the Jubilee of Jerusalem's liberation and reunification in 1967 by posting a verse a day with a photo of modern Jerusalem! Visit our Facebook page each day to see a beautiful photo and verse about Jerusalem.
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Help To Build The Holy Temple In Our Time: Donate Generously To Help The Sacred Work Of The Temple Institute! Every contribution helps to rebuild the Holy Temple in our Time!
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Blessings from the holy city of Jerusalem!
Yitzchak Reuven
The Temple Institute
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